on this head. One of them--thought to be Gerson--makes
the gratuitous supposition that the moment she dismounted from her
horse, she was in the habit of resuming woman's apparel; confessing that
Esther and Judith had had recourse to more natural and feminine means
for their triumphs over the enemies of God's people. Entirely
preoccupied with the soul, these theologians seem to have held the body
cheap; provided the letter, the written law, be followed, the soul will
be saved; the flesh may take its chance. A poor and simple girl may be
pardoned her inability to distinguish so clearly.

On the Friday and the Saturday the unfortunate prisoner, despoiled of
her man's dress, had much to fear. Brutality, furious hatred, vengeance,
might severally incite the cowards to degrade her before she perished,
to sully what they were about to burn. Besides, they might be tempted to
varnish their infamy by a "reason of state," according to the notions of
the day--by depriving her of her virginity they would undoubtedly
destroy that secret power of which the English entertained such great
dread, who perhaps might recover their courage when they knew that,
after all, she was but a woman. According to her confessor, to whom she
divulged the fact, an Englishman, not a common soldier, but a
_gentleman_, a lord, patriotically devoted himself to this
execution--bravely undertook to violate a girl laden with fetters, and,
being unable to effect his wishes, rained blows upon her.

"On the Sunday morning, Trinity Sunday, when it was time for her to
rise--as she told him who speaks--she said to her English guards, 'Leave
me, that I may get up.' One of them took off her woman's dress, emptied
the bag in which was the man's apparel, and said to her, 'Get up.'
'Gentlemen,' she said, 'you know that dress is forbidden me; excuse me,
I will not put it on.' The point was contested till noon; when, being
compelled to go out for some bodily want, she put it on. When she came
back, they would give her no other, despite her entreaties."

In reality, it was not to the interest of the English that she should
resume her man's dress, and so make null and void a retractation
obtained with such difficulty. But at this moment, their rage no longer
knew any bounds. Saintrailles had just made a bold attempt upon Rouen.
It would have been a lucky hit to have swept off the judges from the
judgment seat, and have carried Winchester and Bedford to Poitiers; the
latter